EFFRONTES, so called from their shaving their foreheads till they bleed, and then anointing them with oil; using no other baptism but this. They say the holy Ghost is nothing but a bare motion inspired by God in the mind, and that he is not to be adored.* EICETÆ, a denomination in the year 680, who affirmed that, in order to make prayer acceptable to God, it should be performed dancing.+ ÉLCESAITES, a denomination in the second century; so called from their prophet Elcesai. His fundamental doctrine was, that Jesus Christ, who was born from the beginning of the world, had appeared from time to time under divers bodies. the body. He distinguished the creator of the world from the supreme Being, denied the reality of Christ's body, and blended the christian religion with several other tenets of the oriental philosophy.§. ENERGICI, a denomination in the sixteenth century; so called because they held that the eucharist was the energy and virtue of Jesus Christ; not his body, nor a representation thereof.|| EONITES, a denomination in the twelfth century, followers of Eon d' Etoile, a gentleman of Bretagne. Having heard it sung in the church, per eum qui venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos, he concluded that he was the person who was to judge both quick and dead, from the resemblance between the word eum. and his name. He was followed as a great prophet. Sometimes he walked with a great number of people, sometimes he lived in solitude, and appeared afterwards in greater splendour than before. He ended his days in a miserable prison, and left a considerable number of followers, whom persecution and death in the most dreadful forms, could not persuade to abandon his ENCRATITES, or CONTINENTS, a name given to a sect in the second century, because they condemned marriage, forbade the eating of flesh, or drinking of wine; and rejected with a sort of horror all the comforts and conveniences of life. Tatian, an Assyrian, was the leader of this denomination. He regarded matter as the fountain of all evil, and therefore recommended in a peculiar manner the mortification of cause.¶ * Ross's View of all Religions, p. 233. Dufresnoy's Chronological Tables, vol. i. p. 213. History of Religion, vol. 4. Mosheim, vol. 1. 180. History of Religion, vol. 4. ¶ Mosheim, vol. ii. pp. 457, 458, Broughton's. Historical Library, vol, i. p. 361. EOQUINIANS, a denomination in the sixteenth century; so called from one Eoquinus, their master, who taught that Christ did not die for the wicked, but for the faithful only.* EPISCOPALIANS, so called from επι and σκοπεω. This appellation is given to those who prefer the episcopal government to all others, and assert that episcopacy was the constitution of the primitive church. This denomination maintain, that bishops, presbyters, and deacons, are three distinct subordinate callings in God's church: that the bishops have a superiority over the priests, jure divino, and directly from God. To prove this point they allege, that during our Saviour's stay upon earth, he had under him two distinct orders of ministers the twelve and the seventy; and after his ascension, immediately before which he had enlarged the powers of the eleven, we read of apostles, presbyters, and deacons,in the church: that the apostolic, or highest order, is designed to be permanent, is evident from bishops being instituted by the apostles themselves, to succeed them in great cities, as Timothy at Ephesus, Titus at Crete, &c. It appears that Timothy and Titus were superior to modern presbyters, from the offices assigned them. Timothy was by Paul empowered to preside over the presbyters of Ephesus, to receive accusations against them, to exhort, to charge, and even to rebuke them; and Titus was by the same apostle left in Crete for the express purpose of setting things in order, and ordaining presbyters in every city. It is said in 1 Tim. v. 19, Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before one or two witnesses. Therefore, say they, Timothy was a judge, presbyters were brought before him, and he was superior to them.† For an account of the extent of the episcopal churches, see part the second. ERASTIANS, SO called from Erastus, a German divine of the sixteenth century. The pastoral office, according to him, was only persuasive, like a professor of sciences over his students, without any power of the keys annexed. The Lord's supper, and other ordinances of the gospel, were to be free and open to all. The minister might dissuade the vicious and unqualified from *Ross's View of all Religions, p. 234. Neal's History of the Puritans, vol. i. p. 494. Dr. Edwards's EUSTATHIANS, a denomination in the fourth century; so called from Eustathius, a monk. He prohibited marriage, the use of wine and flesh, feasts of charity, and other things of that nature. To those who were joined in wedlock he prescribed immediate divorce; and obliged his followers to quit all they had, as incompatible with the hopes of heaven.|| EUTUCHITES, a denomination in the third century; so called from the greek, UTUXE, which signifies to live without pain, or in pleasure. They held that our souls are placed in our bodies only to honour the angels who created them; and that we ought to rejoice equally in all events, because to grieve would be to dishonour the angels, their creators. They also held that Jesus Christ was not the Son of God, but See of an unknown God.¶ EUDOXIANS, a branch of the Arians in the fourth century; so called from Eudoxus, who, after the death of Arius, became head of the party. See Arians. EUNOMIANS. Arians. EUSEBIANS, so called from Eusebius, bishop of Casarea, in Palestine, in the fourth century. He maintained that there was a certain disparity and subordination between the persons of the Godhead.§ See Arians. EUTYCHIANS, a denomination in the fifth century; so called from Eutyches, abbot of a certain convent of monks at Constantinople. They maintained that there was only one nature in Jesus Christ. The divine nature, according to them, had so *Neal's History of the Puritans, vol. iii. p. 140. + Broughton. R entirely swallowed up the human, that the latter could not be distinguised: so that F AMILISTS, a denomination which appeared in Holland about the year 1555.t They derive their origin from Henry Nicholas, a Westphalian, who styled his followers The Family of Love. He pretended to have a commission to teach mankind; and that there was no knowledge of Christ, nor of the scriptures, but in his family. To prove this point, he argued from 1 Cor. xiii. 5, 9, 10: For we know but in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is imperfect shall be done away. Hence he inferred that the doctrine of Christ is imperfect, and a more perfect doctrine should be revealed to The Family of Love. This 'denomination also taught the following doctrines:-(1.) That the essence of religion consisted in the feelings of divine love; and that it was a matter of the most perfect indifference what opinions christians entertained concerning the divine nature, Jesus Christ was merely God, and had nothing of humanity but the appearance.* provided their hearts burned with the pure and sacred flame of piety and love.-(2.) That the union of the soul with Christ transforms it into the essence of the Deity.-(3.) That the letter of the scripture is useless, and those sacred books ought to be interpreted in an allegorical manner. (4.) That it was lawful for them, if for their convenience, to swear to an untruth, either before a magistrate, or any other person -who was not of their society. FARVONIANS, a branch of the Socinians; so called from Stanislaus Farvonius, who flourished in the sixteenth century. He asserted that Christ had been engendered, or produced out of nothing, by the supreme Being, before the creation of this terrestrial globe; and warned his disciples against paying religious worship to the divine Spirit.§ See Socinians. FIFTH MONARCHYMEN, a denomination which arose in the seventeenth century. They derived their name * Barclay's Dictionary. Mosheim, vol. 1. p. 413. This denomination appeared in England about the year 1580, where, when their founder was discovered, their books were ordered to be publicly burnt. Mosheim, vol. iv. p. 166. Broughton, vol. ii, p. 30. More's Mystery of Godliness, p. 256. Leigh's Critica Sacra, p. 253. Fulfilling of the Scriptures, vol. i, p. 166. Mosheim, vol. iv. p. 201, 202. from their maintaining that there will be a fifth universal monarchy under the personal reign of King Jesus upon earth. In consequence of this tenet, they aimed at the subversion of all human government.* FLACIANS, the followers of Matthias Flacias Illyricus, who flourished in the sixteenth century. He taught that original sin is the very substance of human nature; and that the fall of man was an event which extinguished in the human mind every virtuous tendency, every noble faculty, and left nothing behind it but universal darkness and corruption.+ FLAGELLANTS, a denomination which sprang up in Italy in the year 1260, and was thence propagated through almost all the countries of Europe. They derive their name from the latin, flagello, to whip. The society that embraced this new discipline, ran in multitudes, composed of persons of both sexes, and all ranks and ages, through the public streets, with whips in their hands, lashing their naked-bodies with the most astonishing severity, with a view to obtain the divine mercy for themselves and others, by their voluntary mortification and penance.This sect made their appearance anew in the fourteenth century, and taught among other things that flagellation was of equal virtue with baptism, and the other sacraments; that the forgiveness of all sins was to be obtained by it from God, without the merit of Jesus Christ; that the old law of Christ was soon to be abolished; and that a new law, enjoining the baptism of blood, to be administered by whipping, was to be substituted in its place. A new denomination of Whippers arose in the fifteenth century, who rejected the sacraments, and every branch of external worship, and placed their only hopes of salvation in faith and flagellation. FLANDRIANS. See Men nonites. FLORINIANS, a branch of the Valentinians in the second century; so called from Florinus, their leader.§ See Valentinians. FRATRES ALBATI, a name which distinguished a denomination in the fifteenth century. They owed their origin to a certain priest, who descended from the Alps, arrayed in a white garment, and accompanied with a prodigious number of both sexes, * Mosheim, vol. iv. p. 533. + Ibid, p. 43. Mosheim, vol. iii. pp. 94, 206, 277. § Ibid, vol, i. p. 189. |